Frampton Brothers- Reunion Show! October 4, 2025, Pittsburgh, PA

  

  

...Speaking of reunions, 2025 saw the reuniting of one of my all time top 10 bands, the Frampton Brothers! Back in October, Sean Lally and Ed Masley reassembled members from the group for a one-off reunion set in their hometown of Pittsburgh. Choice cuts from all their underappreciated full length albums, as well as the EP, Hate You and cassette, The Hits of the Staten Island Ferries were performed to a dedicated, enthusiastic crowd. I've been a big fan of the band and the opportunity to see the band live had eluded me in the past and I seriously considered making a road trip to attend this event. Unfortunately, the political climate between Canada and the U.S. is making everything difficult and I just couldn't make it happen. I will regret this!

 

 

I first heard of the Frampton Brothers when I (blindly) mail ordered a copy of the 7" Do The Chair/(I Wanna Be Your) Furniture from Popllama Records in 1992 and loved it so much I mailed Bogus Records in Pittsburgh for a catalog. I found out they had their debut album available and I immediately sent a money order for the CD and the Bonograph cassette with covers of Sonny (& Cher) songs, which included the Framptons, Young Fresh Fellows, Ben Vaughn and Charlie Chesterman (who produced their first album, I Am Curious (George). Their music instantly connected, I loved it and I eventually got the rest of their catalog when it became available. I corresponded with Sean, who sent me lots and lots of musical goodies (that I'm forever grateful for!) and bought discs from Ed's follow-up band, the Breakup Society, another under-the-radar band you must hear!

Though I didn't have a chance to record the band's set in person, fortunately someone took a video of the complete concert that had decent clear audio. The video was shaky at times, but it's watchable and thrill to see the show, kinda like being there (I'm sure my view would be just as obstructed). The took the audio from the video (using an app/site that converts just the audio), split the tracks and figured out the track listing with the help of a photo of the setlist. It's all here if you want a listen, (I prefer listening to the audio so I can do other things, like writing this post) but if you prefer here's the original YouTube video link: Frampton Brothers LIVE @GOVT. CNTR 10.4.2025 

Enjoy!

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Please share! 

 

 

  

FRAMPTON BROTHERS
Government Center
Pittsburgh, PA
October 4, 2025

audio from video
YouTube> wave> Direct Wave splitter> FLAC

01. File Under F
02. Dressing Room
03. Overly Optimistic Blues
04. The Beginning Of The End Of The Fun Years
05. Gimme Back My Empty Head
06. New Deli Bandits Theme
07. Miss America Cares
08. Big Stoopid World
09. Brian Wilson Said
10. Soda Pop
11. Like An Oliver Stone
12. If She Were My Girl
13. Mayor Of Frogtown
14. Ain't No Parade
15. Bread And Butter
16. Freak Show
17. Touch Of Shit
18. Evil Twin
19. Do The Chair
20. The Potato Song

 

FRAMPTON BROTHERS- 2025-10-04 Government Center, Pittsburgh, PA FLAC. rar 

Sloan- Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg MB, November 25, 2025

 

It's sad to say, but this has to be one of my worst years for attending concerts. My apathy and lack of interest in the bands coming to town is probably a weak excuse for a generally enjoyable experience. My wife suffers from tinnitus, so to her it's all a roar and I still feel the need to record all the concerts I attend and sometimes I still get worked up and anxious about it, more than I should be. Recording live shows in the 21st century is easier than ever before (no tapes to flip, longer battery life) and with almost every frickin' person in the crowd waving their phones in the air (and filming videos), the chances of getting "caught" is at the minimum, though I try to avoid venues that use metal detectors. The guy immediately in front of me at the Sloan show, spent most of his time filming videos with his phone and even posted clips during the intermission. I'll post a link below so you can see pretty much where I was sitting. 

 

 

Though I don't go to many shows anymore, there are certain bands that will get me out of the house. I like Sloan (I saw them once) and they always put on a solid live show. In reality, it's only Chris Murphy (vocals/bass/drums) that engages with the crowd, but they always feel sincere and appreciative of their fans. Their set was split in two with a brief intermission between, which meant no opening band, which is always a bonus. There aren't a lot of bands that have been around as long as them that play a lot of new stuff live. They performed several tracks from the newest album, Based On The Best Seller (they sound as good as ever!) and they sprinkled in songs, in both sets, from throughout their long and modestly successful career. They saved the best for the finale (last 5 songs, including encore) that had everyone on their feet. Definitely the highlight! The recording turned out good, as the Burt has decent (not great) sound and I was ideally situated in the third row, centre in the first balcony with a clear sound path to the stage and speakers. If you want the best view of the stage at the Burt, I highly recommend the first few rows in the balcony, especially if you're not tall. Another tip, never sit in the 2nd balcony! Worst sound ever and the views are claustrophobic and scary! A fun night and I MUST go to more concerts in the future!

Enjoy!

 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

 

Here's a couple video links from the guy sitting in front of me:

Sloan- The Lines You Amend 

Sloan- Underwhelmed

Sloan took/posted this selfie with their endearing fans! Note: If you look closely I'm visible in the first balcony, third row, left of the aisle. I have fuzzy hair.

  

SLOAN
Burton Cummings Theatre
Winnipeg, MB
November 25, 2025
Audience Master

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC

SET 1
01. Capitol Cooler
02. Live Forever
03. Scratch the Surface
04. Right to Roam
05. The Other Man
06. Ill Placed Trust
07. Baxter
08. Traces
09. Dream It All Over Again
10. All I Am Is All You're Not
11. So Far Down
12. The Lines You Amend
13. Take It In
14. Unkind

SET 2
15. Dream Destroyer
16. Congratulations
17. Fortune Teller
18. No Damn Fears
19. I Can't Sleep
20. The Dogs
21. All Used Up
22. Witch's Wand
23. The Rest of My Life
24. Money City Maniacs

ENCORE
25. Snowsuit Sound
26. Underwhelmed
27. The Good in Everyone

 

SLOAN- 2025-11-25 Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB FLAC. rar

 

Camper Van Beethoven- 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, September 20, 2025: Last Show??

 

  

On Sept. 19, 2025, David Lowery posted on social media: "Never say never, but these look like the last Camper Van Beethoven shows coming up," referring to a show that night in Chicago and the following evening in Washington, D.C. "We love you fans and we've had a great 40 year run. But the fact we live on 3 different continents in 5 different time zones, I often feel more like a travel agent and international tax advisor than a musician. I'm not gonna miss that part of the job. Looking forward to being at home with the family and dog."

 

If this in fact is true, it was indeed an incredible run from a band I've listened to almost from the beginning and I still frequently listen to their records and enjoy their music. The band formed in 1983, broke up for the first time in 1990, reformed in 1999 to record new material, played their first "reunion" live show in 2002 (I have that disc somewhere) and have toured and recorded consistently ever since. They have been together 26 years during their second run.

 

This was the last show of their current tour, that celebrated the 40th anniversary of the classic 1985 debut album, Telephone Free Landslide Victory. Camper played the entire album, in track order followed by a sampling of their best songs from the band's first era (1985-1990). This recording sounds great and is an excellent document, especially if it's their final show. I have a feeling it isn't and hopeful they'll play live again and my only regret is that I didn't see them live. I blew an opportunity this summer when they performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. I'm cheap, I didn't go, so it's my own fault, but there are so many outstanding live Camper Van recordings available. I downloaded this show from Dime, but it is also available at https://archive.org/details/CVB2025-09-20.vwmule or if you want to hear samples. Thanks to Alex Leary for recording and morst for the post-mix!

Enjoy!

  

Note: The audio files are 24 bit, so the file is large. 

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use

Please share!

 

 

 

Camper Van Beethoven
20 September 2025 (Saturday)
9:30 Club
Washington, D.C.

Source: Microtech Gefell MV400L/M41 + SBD > Sound Devices MixPre-6 (24/48)

Transfer: MP6 > iMac (24/48) > Audacity 2.4.2 (mix 32f/48) > Sound Forge Mac 2.5.1 (gain & limit 24/48) Tracked via Sound Studio, FLAC via xACT.

Recorded by Alex Leary. Post-mix by morst.

01. The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon
02. Border Ska
03. Wasted
04. Yanqui Go Home
05. Oh No!
06. 9 Of Disks
07. Payed Vacation: Greece
08. Where The Hell Is Bill?
09. Vladivostock
10. Skinhead Stomp
11. Tina
12. Take The Skinheads Bowling
13. Mao Reminisces About His Days In Southern China
14. I Don't See You
15. Balalaika Gap
16. Opi Rides Again > Club Med Sucks
17. Ambiguity Song
18. Band Introductions
19. ZZ Top Goes To Egypt
20. (We're A) Bad Trip
21. Good Guys & Bad Guys
22. The History Of Utah
23. Shut Us Down
24. Seven Languages
25. Flowers
26. Waka
27. She Divines Water
28. Turquoise Jewelry
29. All Her Favorite Fruit
30. Sweethearts
31. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
32. E: Interstellar Overdrive

Notes:
- Last show of tour celebrating 40th anniversary of Telephone Free Landslide Victory.

 

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN- 2025-09-20, 9:30 Club, Washington, DC FLAC. rar

 

Rilo Kiley- Yes! It's Just Like Heaven, May 10, 2025: First Tour In 17 Years!

 

So far, 2025 hasn't been a stellar year for attending concerts. I've gone to two shows with no real aspirations to see any concerts in the forthcoming future. I'm contemplating the 50th anniversary edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, partly for nostalgic reasons, but mainly to see Camper Van Beethoven, who I missed several years ago and I've always wanted to see them live. My preference generally is smaller venues, not only because the cost is usually more reasonable, but also I like to watch and hear a band up close, well close enough to see their faces.

 

Another factor in this whole concert thing has to do with the ability to see bands in other cities, most notably the U.S of A. I won't bore you with the details of the U.S./Canada relations at the moment, but I can't see myself traveling to the States (I live in Canada, if you haven't figured that out) in the near future. It's a shame because there are a number of interesting shows I would seriously consider driving to Minneapolis for, but from what I hear crossing the border is a hassle and more divisive than ever before.

 

 

A band near the top of my list is the recently reunited, Rilo Kiley who have begun to embark on a tour taking them all around the U.S. (and Vancouver, this past week) during May, a couple of nights in August, September and October and they've even added 6 additional dates since the tour began on May 5th. They hadn't performed together since 2008 and I'm pretty sure I said I would make an effort to see them if they ever got back together. I saw Jenny Lewis at the Winnipeg Folk Fest in 2015, she was amazing and she played several Rilo Kiley songs, but it's not quite the same. I probably won't see the group this tour, so the next best thing is watching and listening to live recordings. There is a ton of video footage on YouTube from most of the dates and so far I can find only one live audience audio recording and fortunately it's their highly anticipated set during the Just Like Heaven Festival in Pasadena, California on May 10th. It was their third show of the tour, so the band was primed for a great show in front of a huge audience. You can be the judge regarding the recording from the show (below), the sound is pretty decent and the setlist covers most of their best known songs from all their records (including The Frug, which I still think is hilarious). Which reminds me, it was perfect timing for a special reissue of  2002's, Execution Of All Things ("The Frozen Lake" edition on LP/bonus 7") ahead of the tour on April 25th, as well as a greatest hits album, That's How We Choose To Remember It, released a day before the Just Like Heaven concert on May 9th.

Enjoy! 

 

 Some random reviews from Rilo Kiley's set at the Just Like Heaven Festival:

 https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-05-11/rilo-kiley-just-like-heaven-jenny-lewis-vampire-weekend

 

 https://www.spin.com/2025/05/hot-as-hell-but-rilo-kiley-makes-it-just-like-heaven/

 

 https://news.pollstar.com/2025/05/12/just-like-heaven-delivers-on-nostalgic-indie-rock-thrills-with-rilo-kiley-reunion-vampire-weekend-bloc-party-live-review/

 

The original tour dates...

Added tour dates and notice how many shows are now sold out.

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

RILO KILEY
Just Like Heaven Festival
Stardust Stage
Pasadena, CA
May 10, 2025

SOURCE:
SP-CMC-8 (w/Mods) > Sony PCM-M10 > Sandisk Mini-SD Card (64gb - Class 10)

TRANSFER:
.WAV (24 Bit) > Adobe Audition 2025 CC (normalize/amplify/tracking/dithering/downsampling) > .WAV (16 Bit) > Trader's Little Helper > FLAC (Level 6)

SETLIST:

01. Intro
02. The Execution of Things
03. Wires and Waves
04. Spectacular Views
05. The Moneymaker
06. Dreamworld
07. I Never
08. Paint's Peeling
09. Does He Love You?
10. Silver Lining
11. With Arms Outstretched
12. A Better Son/Daughter
13. Frug
14. Portions for Foxes

 

RILO KILEY- 2025-05-10 JLH- Pasadena, CA AUD FLAC.rar

Cheekface- Live at The Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, January 23, 2025

 

So, I went to my first concert of 2025! In recent years, I've reduced the amount of live shows I've attended, not necessarily by choice, more that there hasn't been a lot of acts I'm excited to see. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, most of the artists I've seen have been around my age or older, which means I seem to be the median age or target audience of these dinosaur performers. So it's refreshing to see a band that was formed within the last decade with more energy on stage than I've seen in a very long time! 

On a cold, winter night in January I saw, America's Local Band, Cheekface, a band from L.A. who braved the chilly weather to take part in the Winterruption 2025 mini-music fest in Winnipeg. I listen to a lot music, but not much new music, so when I discovered Cheekface, they instantly became a new favourite. I first heard the band at the beginning of the pandemic when I was at home 24/7 making art and streaming music all the time and the talk-sing vocals, dry humour and super catchy songs hit the spot, made me laugh and now follow the band.

 

As I said earlier, it was a change of pace to see a younger band which in effect attracts a younger audience. I was definitely in the upper age range in the crowd, but this band seemed to attract a wide range of fans, maybe an equal male/female ratio. A lot of the fans knew the songs enough to either sing along or chant at appropriate times and the connection between the performers and audience was quite strong. In some ways, Cheekface reminded me a bit of the Descendents. Apart from the obvious coffee reference (see photos for "coffee cup" stage backdrop), their music is infectious and easily relatable delivered in a similar nerdy pop-punk style. The song "Noodles", a short, one line song, repeated over and over (12x?) was performed four times (three in a row and once during the "encore), each time with the introduction, "the next song is an original Cheekface composition" was haha funny the first couple of times, but will get tiresome if you see the band more than once. Front-guy, Greg Katz's sing/speak vocal style is often compared to Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman and Stephen Malkmus, but after seeing him live, I would add one of the John's from They Might Be Giants too. Katz was upfront and in the centre, but it was hard not to keep an eye on bass player, Amanda (Mandy) Tannen, whose energy is a much needed stage presence. 

 

 

It's been awhile since I've recorded a show and this one turned great. The floor was crowded with standing fans, but it wasn't too crammed so the sound was clear and bright. I must say the Park Theatre is one of the better venues in Winnipeg to see a live band, not only are the sight lines really good (the floor is slanted and elevated towards the back), but the sound system and whoever works the sounds did an excellent job. For the recording, it was relatively hassle-free, not bullshit searches, metal detectors or over-enthusiastic security personnel. As with most modern concerts, phones are always actively recording videos, snapping photos (yeah, me too) or turning on the flashlight to stupidly wave around. It's part of the concert experience I suppose and I'll hold back my rant about not allowing audio sound recorders. Anyways, fun show and you can experience it too, at least audibly with the download link below.

Enjoy!

 

Additional link:

Exclaim- Cheekface Winnipeg concert review 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

CHEEKFACE
The Park Theatre
Winnipeg, MB
January 23, 2025
Audience Master

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC

01. Next To Me (Yo Guy Version)
02. Popular 2
03. When Life Hands You Problems
04. Plastic
05. Hard Mode
06. Life In A Bag
07. Featured Singer/Cha Cha Slide
08. Best Life
09. Pledge Drive
10. Growth Sux
11. I Only Say I'm Sorry When I'm Wrong Now
12. Flies
13. You Always Want To Bomb The Middle East
14. Dry Heat/Nice Town
15. Noodles
      Noodles
      Noodles
16. The Fringe
17. "Listen To Your Heart". "No"
18. Noodles
19. We Need A Bigger Dumpster
20. Eternity Leave

 

CHEEKFACE- 2025-01-23 Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar